An Abia High Court has nullified the victory of Chief Ikechi Emenike, an acclaimed winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election held in the state on Thursday.
At the end of Thursday’s controversial primary election in Abia State, the embattled Chief Emenike was declared the winner.
But a court presided over by Justice O. A Chijioke, on Thursday, in the suit instituted by Mr. Chinedum Nwole and two others, declared that Emenike lacks the locus standi to contest the primary election based on the fact that he had been suspended from the party.
The court ruled that both Emenike and the Abia State chairman of the party, Chief Donatus Nwakpa, breached Article 9.3 of the APC constitution by going ahead to participate in the primary election.
The court declared illegal the participation of the duo in the ward, local council, state and the recently held national convention of the party.
The judge ruled in part: “By the virtue of the suspension of the first defendant (Emenike) as a member of the second defendant (APC), the first defendant cannot participate in whatever form whatsoever in the activities of the second defendant, including the scheduled ward, local government, state and national congresses of the second defendant due to take place between 2021 and 2022.
“That order of injunction is hereby made restraining the first defendant from parading, dignifying and or posturing himself as a legitimate member of APC during the subsisting of his suspension from the party as prescribed by the constitution.”
The court thereby directed the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led national working committee (NWC) to henceforth desist from having any dealings with the duo based on the subsisting court order.
Meanwhile, contrary to the directive of the national leadership of the APC through a letter signed by the national chairman Senator Abdullahi Adamu, and its national secretary, Chief Iyiola Omisore, which directed that the party employ direct primary for the governorship primary election in Abia State, the party’s leadership in the state defied the directive by using the indirect mode to conduct the controversial exercise.
